Reflections is a monthly column for teachers, by teachers on topics of interest to mathematics educators: lesson plans, book/resource reviews, reflections on classroom experiences, and more. If you are interested in sharing your own ideas with mathematics educators in the province (and beyond), consider contributing to this column! Contact us at thevariable (at) smts (dot) ca.

“A totem pole casts a shadow that is 15 m long. The angle of depression of the sun is 43°. How tall is the totem pole?” Or perhaps this one: “The following beading pattern has a ratio of black to red beads of 4:7. If there are 35 black beads, how many red beads are there?” FNIM content – check.

This was me. This is me. This has been me for 8 years. Is it better than nothing? Maybe. Is it good enough? Definitely not.

In this monthly column, you’ll find a list of upcoming math (education)-related workshops, conferences, and other events that will take place in Saskatchewan and beyond. Some events fill up fast, so don’t delay signing up! For more information about a particular event or to register, follow the link provided below the description. If know about an event that should be on our list, please leave a comment below.

Within Saskatchewan

Conferences

IT Summit
May 2nd – 3rd, Saskatoon, SK
Presented by the SPDU
This two-day event will explore exemplary practices for teaching and learning with technology to support the actualization of Saskatchewan curricula. It promotes professional dialogue that fosters effective teaching and learning with technology, and is designed to share best practices in network infrastructures and centralized technologies that support student learning through technology use in schools and school divisions. See https://www.stf.sk.ca/professional-resources/events-calendar

Welcome to this month’s edition of Problems to Ponder! Pose them in your classroom as a challenge, or try them out yourself. Have an interesting student (or teacher) solution? Send it to thevariable@smts.ca for publication in a future issue ofThe Variable,our monthly periodical.

Grade 7-8 Problem: Painted cubeMath Challenge 2016

A cube is made up of 27 smaller cubes. Suppose that all of the faces of the larger cube are painted red, and then it is taken apart. How many of the small cubes would have no faces painted red? One face painted red? Two faces painted red? Three faces painted red?

On Saturday, March 12, over 70 Grade 7-10 students from schools around the province arrived bright and early to the University of Saskatchewan to participate in this year’s installment of the Saskatchewan Math Challenge, a provincial math challenge co-sponsored by the Saskatchewan Math Teachers’ Society and the University of Saskatchewan. This year, the Math Challenge was also assisted by generous support from the University of Saskatchewan Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

The Saskatchewan Math Challenge, a provincial math competition co-sponsored by the Saskatchewan Math Teachers’ Society and the University of Saskatchewan, will be held this year on March 12th, 2016 in the Arts Building of the University of Saskatchewan. Students from grades 7 to 10 will compete as teams of 3 to 5 in solving problems in one of two levels: Grade 7-8 and 9-10. We are anticipating another high-energy day filled with interesting mathematics!

The SMTS is very excited to announce our confirmed conference lineup for SUM v2.0, happening in November of this year. We hope that the shift in dates helps teachers access funding, as well as provide support to teachers earlier in the year.

Extreme Math Camp 2014 will be held on Thursday and Friday, June 26 and June 27 at Walter Murray Collegiate in Saskatoon. The camp is designed to mathematically challenge able students in grades 7 to 10 who have an interest in mathematical problem solving. We will have presenters from the University of Waterloo, University of Saskatchewan and elsewhere leading four sessions each day with students split into a junior group (typically grades 7 and 8) and a senior group (typically grades 9 and 10).